US President Donald Trump has signed documents ordering the renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” escalating his war of words with Canada amid ongoing trade tensions between the two countries.
Trump announced the move on Thursday, August 27, 2026, while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office as he signed the documents.
“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America,” Trump said.
The US President claimed that all necessary documentation had been completed and that relevant authorities had been notified.
“We filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else. We notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So we’ve done everything that you have to do, and this is official, effective immediately,” he said.
Trump also criticised Canadian officials over trade policies, accusing them of imposing what he described as excessive tariffs on American farmers.
“The Canadian officials have created this very badly. They’re nasty people. They charge our farmers 400% tariffs,” Trump said.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and forms part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.
The latest announcement follows Trump’s previous move to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” a decision that has remained controversial in Canada and elsewhere.
“If you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean. So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific,” Trump said.
The proposed renaming comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa remain strained over tariffs and trade negotiations.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently broke off trade talks with the United States, accusing Washington of attempting to weaken Canada.
“America is trying to break us so that they can own us,” Carney said, adding that as long as he remained in charge, that “never, ever” would happen.
Trump subsequently imposed a new 50% tariff on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, including beer, cheese, wine, hockey sticks, cement and electronics.
He also threatened to increase tariffs to 50% on vehicles, automotive parts and steel imported from Canada.
Carney has vowed to respond with retaliatory tariffs beginning September 8 as the trade dispute between the two North American neighbours continues to intensify.
